Dispensing valve for emergency oxygen cylinders



Feb. 7, 1956 H. F. ALFERY ETAL 2,733,835

DISPENSNG VALVE FOR EMERGENCY OXYGEN CYLINDERS 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Oct. 30, 1952 IC A.

o lo Feb. 7, 1956 H.F.ALFERY ETAL DISFENSINGl VALVE FOR EMERGENCY OXYGEN CYLINDERS Filed Oct. 30, 1952 devi?" 44 52 l 28| 4o `l| 4Z r J l 2b Fte. 5

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENToRs HENRY F. Auf-.RY By RHAAD K. ENeHoLn-r ATTRNEY l der.

'=DISPENSING VALVEFGR EMERGENCY OXYGEN CYLlNDERS Henry F. Alfery, HnlesCcrnerSandRicherd K- Engholdt, Milwaukee, Wis-,assigners to yErie Manufacturing. Cen gMilvvaukee, Wis., a corporationof Wisconsin` Application. October 3,0., 19.52, Serial No. 317,702

.This inventief! relatesto emergency bailfout oxygen cylinders..antiparticnlarly.tothe valve aseernblyfcreuch .cylinders- ...Emergency hail-cutcxygen. cylindersare .used by the cperatine personnel cf.l high altitude aircraft. t Provide .a temporary er emergency Oxygen. Surely in. the event tbattlie regular Oxygen supply shculdfnlelfuncticn er in. .the event that. .it .become necessary4 ferthe personnel .to leave the. aircraft.. `lrsvvilllee expleinedrncre fnlly .ine the tenth minute ytassurn'i-ris ,en .initial Pressure .ef .eighteen hundred pcnnderer Square inch in the cylinder)- VThesejflow rates are ample ,when it islrernerrlbered ythat the personnel are decreasing the altitude during,v theterl minute period and `atti-re end of ten minutesk will be at an elevation requiring no further oxygen. 'For .example, even when descending by parachute 4from an Aelevation of forty thousand feet the personnel will'be at approximately twenty thousand feet at the end Ytlf ten minutes.

hrIfhe cylinder valve assemblyjis, as` noted above, partially 'fractured when using the cylinder and in yorder Rto reuse the cylinder `the fractured part must be replaced. Sincethe unit is designed for such operation A-parts are Vreadily'available*for this replacement.y However, ori-the inletorcharging nipple prior cylinders of thistype -were provided -witllf a checkvalve which generally `froze in its seatedpositiongand thereforev required replacement-when it -wasfdesired torechargethe cylin- These par-ts were not e always available and even if available such malfunctioning of the inlet-check valve represents a-costly waste. 'The present invention elimi- -nates 4therneed for-the check valve Ain the charging nipple and etectsa fgreat simplification in the fabrication 'and maintenance of these emergency cylinders.

iThe principal object of this inventionA isto simplify and improve emergency bail-out oxygen cylinders and particularly the valvel assembly of such cylinders.

.Aifurther object of this invention -is to simplify the recharging of errlergency-bail-out oxygen cylinders.

:Still another object-is toseliminate the-finlet nipple check valve assembly found in previous emergency bailout oxygen cylinders.

vStill another object is-v .to reduce-the cost-V of fabrication and of maintenance of `the -valve assemblies on emergency Abailout oxygen cylinders.

.A V still further object is to provide an improved valve assembly for emergency bail-out oxygen cylinders which v is` designed t0 replace prior types of similar kequipment While being interchangeable with older type valves to prevent absolescence of theequipment ofsthis .type'al- .f ready in they field.

`Other-1 objects and. advantages will be -pointed.-.out. in,

.United States Patent 'O .er be apparent trein, the specificati@ endclairns. as

.cllt exygencylinder;

.Fig 2 isa fragmentary cross section ofthe valveas- Y sembly ofthe cylinder sllown in Fig. l withV in@ valve a predetermined application of force on the pull cable vba1l54clamped to-cabler56. -The general design rethe` head of cylinder 1,2. "The valve body'isy provid d assembly in ,itrsfclylarged eondition with the cautiontag ectter Pin .in place. Preventing Placingthe cylinder. into cperaticn;

Fig.` 3 'li`saf`ragmentary crosssection of the Vvalveas- Sernbly Sircwins Y.the manner in which therullcableis actuatedtcfracture thebreak-clfnirnle;

.Fis- 4 .is. ,sirni1ar t0v lis- .3 .but .SliQWS the fracture vf the breeleclfnirple,ccnieletesiend the. flew `e.Stabli.-,l1,e. l thrcnehtlie valve assembly;

.Fie-v 5. isa vertical seeticn through the .velvejaseernbly showingthevrrlannerof charging thecylinder;

Fis-.56.15 .Similar te Eis- 5 buteltcwsthe. eafetyvent in use torprevent charging,thecylinderwhen the nipple nut has been backed olf to a .dangerous extent; -and Pie 7 iS a. Sccticncf. Fis.- 2. online 7,-7 .Shcvvins the P1111` cable ring and. its. relaticnsliip te the tube and. the

breek-cn. nipple- .AS rneybeeeen .infiel the. valve .eesemblyllie mounted@ the Oxygen cylinder 1..2. This. cylinderncrmally has an internal volume oftwendty-tw/o eubieirlches andis designed'for safe operationwat-preepres between 1800 and 24200 pounds per square inch. The valve as eernbly includes velvebeflyf 1'4 whieh'ietltreaded. 4.inte

withl anborell which receives aK sleeve 1 8 whichmcarrles arcoarse metallic iilter'ZD and a ceramic lter 22 inthe lcentral bore'f24thereof. VThe sleeve llhas 35 spl'lerical-seat 28 as will be explained more fully vhereinafter. Thesleeve 1S is normally retained in the position shown in Fig. 2 wherein shoulder 26 seats against --the generally conical seat 30,]inthe valve body to preannular shoulder 26 at its upper end anda generally vent iiowrfrom the cylinderV past the'annular shoulder .and-the. sleeve. `rI The nsleeve is retained in this position .against-the -bias of spring 32 compressed between the lower end. of.` thevalve body 14 and the uni-ported c'ap 434 earnedy bythe lower. end! rsleve 1s. *n willie Ireadily appreciatedthat capu34vis not necessaryto the instant design. f The Vcap `is provided for permitting use vofv .the instant sleeve assembly in older type valves where- `in thedependingpin 36.carried by the cap'is adapted to actuate a check valve located in thev lower end` `of the vvalve body.

The generally sphericalseat 28at-tl1e top of sleeve ldrests against thergenerally conical seat 38 provided Ion the lower .end oflbreakoi ynipple 40. The break- .off nipple is'provided with an O .ring` seal 42 which cooperates with the inner .wa-ll of the valve body -14 to prevent leakage. The break-oli nipple 40 is held down against-the sleeve 18 by .means ofthe nipple nut U44 threaded into the .topv of the rvalvebody 14. The nut generally align with the bore 24zin sleeve 18. The nipple b ore 4S is narroweratits upper endand continues into` the .break-offvportion 50 .of the nipple. Theb'reakoli portion merely comprisesf aA stem projecting upwardly from the nipple and integral with the nipple. However, the point of Vconnection between the break-orf portion andnipple 40 is slightly notched as at 52 to develop'fa predetermined fracture point which willkfraetule With afraasss quirements call for a sixteen pound pull on the cable 55 but permit up to approximately twenty pound pull on the cable.

Pull cable 56 includes a ring 53 which encircles tube 46 and the upperend or break-o portion Si) of the nipple 4d. The pull cablering 58 is mounted within a housing @connected to housing base 62 which is remov- 'ably secured to the valve body by means of a plurality of screws 64. The housing is provided witha suitable `pair of aligned apertures to receive ycotter pin 6o which projects through the housing in such a manner as to v prevent moving the ring S sufficiently for the ring to fracture the break-olf portion 56 from nipple 4d. However, upon removal of the cotter pin 66 and the caution ftag.68 connected to the cotter pin, the ring is free for actuation when the pullY cable ball is yanked. When .this occurs Vthe ring slides to the right as shown in Fig. 3 and deforms tube 46 to exert force on break-od portion 50 to fracture the nipple as shown in Fig. 3. The ball handlemay now be released and oxygen is free to ow from the cylinder through the metallic lter, the .ceramic lter 22, bore 24 of valve body i4, and thence Qthrough bore 48 in the break-olf nipple 40 to the interior of tube 46 which is, of course, connected to the Oxygen mask. Fig. `4 illustrates the discharge position Aof the` parts. It is to benoted that the break-cti por- "tion 50 of the nipple 40 is not shown inl Fig. 4, it being assumed that the stream of oxygen may carry the break- 0tf portion downstream along the length 'of the tube. It is-to be noted, however, that in all cases the break- ,oi portion does not break off and may remain connected `by a fragment of metal. v

After the cylinder has been used it must be recharged before being used again. It will be readily appreciated that nipple 40 -must be replaced since the break-oft" portion 56 has been fractured from the nipple. Replacement is readily effected by disconnecting the housing Ybase 62 from the valve body 22 and moving ,it along Atube 46 as shown in Fig. 5. Nut 44 may now be removed to permit removal of the fractured nipple 40 and replacement with a new part. When reassembling the valve assembly the nut is turned down until the parts seat as shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4 and the nut is Ythen-backed off approximately one-half turn to occupy the position shown in Fig. 5. lt will be noted that in this position sleeve 18 is moved upwardly by spring 32 so that the annular shoulder 26 no longer seats on the Ivalve body seat 3i?. Cap '70 on inlet nipple 72 may l. now be removed to allow connection of charging conduit 74 to the inlet nipple 72 as shown in Fig. 5. Ox e gen is introduced through the metallic iilter 76 in the inlet nipple and through the diagonal bore 7S connecting the nipple 72 to the interior of the valve body above the position normally occupied by the annular shoulder 26 and below the O ring seal 42. However, as may be seen in Fig. 5, backing nut 44 off a number of turns permits the annular seat to move from its seat 36B on the valve body to open a passage down the exterior of the sleeve 18 to the interior of the cylinder. Therefore, the path for the charging oxygen is through nipple 72, Y diagonal bore '78, and between the body and sleeve i8. When pressure gauge 8@ connected to the interior of the cylinder through the 'valve body 14 below shoulder 26 on sleeve 13 indicates that at least lSGS pounds pressure obtains the nipple nut 4d is tightened to move the .parts down to the position shown in Fig. 2 where the annular shoulder on sleeve 18 will seat on the valve body to thus seal ofthe oxygen within the cylinder. It will be appreciated that the charging conduit 74 may be disconnected from the inlet nipple after the sleeve has been seated as shown in Fig. 2 without danger of oxygen leaking from the cylinder. lt wiil be appreciated that ,leakage during the charging operation is prevented bythe O ring seal 42.

Spring 32 acts to unseat sleeve shoulder 26 from seat 32 for fast charging when nut 44 is backed olf. If the spring was omitted shoulder 26 could remain seated when the nut was backed otf and the bottle could be charged through filters 2u, 22 but the charging time would increase due to the restrictions in the ow path. Therefore, while spring 32 opens a by-pass line for fast charging the spring may be omitted if desired.

If nut 4d is backed off to a point where the number of threads remaining in engagement with the valve body insuicient to withstand the high pressure to which the cylinder is to be charged theO ring seal is moved upwardly to a larger diameter portion of the valve body (as shown in Fig. 6) to open an escape path for the oxygen through safety vent 82. This prevents charging the cylinder under dangerous conditions.

in former equipment of this general type the inlet nipple connected directly into the valve body in a manner as if the present nipple were bored on through until it connected with bore 16 in the valve body. By connecting the nipple to the space above the annular shoulder on` the sleeve i8 we have been able to eliminate the check valve found in the prior art in the inlet nipple. We merely manipulate the nipple nut 44 to obtain the desired valving operation without otherwise impairing the usual function of the parts. It will be appreciated that we have completely eliminated the check valve structure without adding any structure'to take over the functions previously performed by the check valve. Modifications of the illustrated structure may occur to those skilled in the art and for this reason we desire to be limited only by the scope of the claims.

. We claim:

1. A valve assembly for emergency oxygen cylinders comprising, a valve body adapted for connection to the cylinder and having a bore therethrough, a centrally bored sleeve mounted within said body bore and spaced therefrom, a seat on said sleeve, a break-off nipple mounted in said body and adapted to contact one end of said sleeve to eifect a seal therebetween, means for sealing said nipple with respect to the body, a seat on the body, a nut threaded in the body and acting on said nipple and said sleeve to urge the sleeve seat into contact with the body seat and operable to permit movement of the nipple and the sleeve away from the body seat, and an inlet nippleconnected to the interior of the valve body in the space between said sealing means and the point of contact vbetween the sleeve seat and the body seat, said break-off nipple having a bore extending through a portion of its length for general alignment Ywith the sleeve boreand having a portion of the nipple adapted for fracture from the major portion of the nip- -ple to open the bore of the nipple to the exterior of the -is no longer eective to seal the nipple with respect to vthe vaive body.

4. A valve assembly for use on oxygen cylinders cornprising, a valve body adapted for connection to a cylinder and provided with an axial bore therethrough, an axially bored sleeve having an external diameter less than the internal diameter of the bore in the valve body and mounted in the valve body, a seat in the valve body bore, an annular shoulder on the sleeve adapted to contact said seat to prevent ow between the body and the sleeve fand adapted for movement from the seat to allow flow between the body and the sleeve, .a nipple assembly .mounted in the body bore and adapted to sealingly contact the sleeve, said nipple assembly being provided with an vaxial bore which extends through a substantial length of the assembly and which generally aligns with the bore in said sleeve, and a nut threadably engaging said valve body and acting on said nipple assembly toadjustably move the assembly and the sleeve in a directionY forcing the sleeve shoulder into contact with said body seat or in a direction permitting said shoulder to move out of contact with the seat, means sealing said nipple assembly with respect to the body bore, and an inlet conduit extending through the body and terminating in the space between said sealing means and the point of contact between said shoulder and said seat, ow from said conduit to the interior of the cylinder being permitted by moving said nut to allow said shoulder to move out of contact with said seat.

5. A valve assembly according to claim 4 including spring means acting on said sleeve in a direction to move said shoulder out of contact with said seat.

6. A valve assembly according to claim V4 including a safety vent comprising a conduit through the valve body at a point sealed from said inlet conduit by said sealing means in the normal positions of said sealing means and open to said inlet conduit when the nut is manipulated to move the nipple assembly and the sealing means toV an unsafe position.

7. A valve assembly according to claim 4 in which said sealing means comprises an O ring mounted in a peripheral groove in the nipple assembly and cooperable with the inner wall of the valve body bore to prevent leakage past the O ring, and including a safety vent comprising a conduit through the wall of the valve body at a point axially spaced from said inlet conduit so that the O ring seal normally lies between the inlet conduit and the safety vent but at a point which is exposed when the nut has been backed off from the valve body to such an extent that the nipple assembly and O ring have moved to a point where the O ring no longer contacts the valve body bore, such a position corresponding to the position when the threads engaging between the nut and the Valve body are insuicient to withstand the rated pressure charge of the cylinder.

8. A valve assembly for emergency oxygen cylinders comprising, a valve body adapted for connection to the cylinder and having a restricted bore therein for metering flow from the cylinder, a seat surrounding one end of said bore, a break-off nipple mounted in said body and adapted to contact said seat to effect a seal therebetween, means for sealing said nipple with respect to said body, a nut threaded in the body and acting on said nipple to urge the nipple into Contact with said seat and operable to permit movement of the nipple away from the position it occupies when seated, a bore extending through a portion of the length of said nipple and being in general alignment with said restricted bore, another portion of said nipple being adapted for fracture from the rest of the nipple to open the nipple bore to the exterior of the valve assembly, and an inlet nipple connected tothe interior of the valve body between said seat and said sealing means so that movement of the break-olf nipple away from said seat will open `a flow path between the inlet nipple and the restricted bore.

2,395,439 wilson et a1 Feb. 26, 1946 Norway July 8, 1947V 

